Four men aged 21, 24, 30 and 52, and a 17-year-old boy, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit violent disorder. The arrests took place in Liverpool, Southport and Blackburn – meaning that one of those arrested is almost certainly Infidels second-in-command Shane “Diddyman” Calvert.

Though we hold no sympathy whatsoever for the Infidels, it should be noted that the police are not the route to countering the threat of fascism on the streets. The police have said that “as part of the NWCTU’s remit, we investigate domestic extremism, which is an unlawful action that can be part of a protest or campaign.” It is not hard to see how this could easily translate from arresting fascists for assault (or even for comments on Facebook, as seen previously) to harassing or arresting working class groups taking various forms of direct action against austerity.

These arrests come in response to the Infidels engaging in low-level violence and harassment. But the police and the state are not anti-fascist. The Infidels and fascism generally can only be effectively countered by a class-based, militant anti-fascist movement willing to confront them directly and defend the space within which the workers’ movement organises.

The next demonstration by the Infidels of Britain is in London on 10 November.